Pottsville man competing in Mr. Health and Fitness magazine contest

Jun. 1—POTTSVILLE — A lifelong city resident wants to spread his love of fitness, physical health and faith through his participation in a national competition.

Eric Muldowney, 51, is a contestant in the Mr. Health and Fitness magazine cover shoot competition that will run through early July. The winner will grace the cover and a two-page spread of the company's Muscle and Fitness magazine and will receive $20,000.

People can vote for Muldowney by visiting featured.muscleandfitness.com/2023/eric-muldo. Muldowney's page features brief quotes regarding the competition, along with several pictures of him working out.

While the initial rounds of voting closed Thursday night, Muldowney remains in contention for the group finals, which end June 8.

'Faith and fitness'

Muldowney, a lifelong fitness enthusiast, believes in spreading "faith through fitness," a message that has resonated with many aspects of his personal and professional life.

A parishioner at Freedom in Christ Church of Schuylkill County in Pottsville, he has found many parallels between faith and fitness that he tries to apply in his lifestyle.

When he entered the Mr. Health and Fitness competition, Muldowney reflected on what he ultimately wanted to achieve in participating in such an endeavor.

While it would be nice to win the grand prize and to grace the cover of Muscle and Fitness, he said, the main reason for his participation lies in the very concepts he holds sacred in his life.

"I feel that, by entering this competition, I could touch and reach more people that are struggling with these two things — faith and fitness," he said.

"In your fitness journey, you have a lot of ups and downs, and you feel like quitting," he said. "But if you stay consistent, you're going to get the results that you wanted from the beginning.

"With your faith journey, you're going to have trials and tribulations, but if you stay consistent, you're going to overcome and get through the trials and tribulations that you have."

Muldowney has been a fitness specialist at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections since 1999.

In his professional life, Muldowney tries to apply his personal principles when working with inmates at the state correctional institute in Frackville, for which he implements and develops new programs.

"I try to encourage them to stay strong in their faith, whatever faith that might be, through fitness," Muldowney said.

Muldowney mentioned two mottoes that he deems particularly important: "Don't let your age be your cage" and "Never meet with anyone before you meet with God."

"What I mean by that is, first thing in the morning, always thank the good Lord for what you're grateful for," he said.

Charity support

While there is no cost to vote for the Muscle and Fitness contestants, people can choose to cast a "Warrior Vote," or a financial contribution to Homes for Wounded Warriors, alongside their vote for Muldowney.

The Warrior votes equate to $1 per vote on the Muscle and Fitness website, and people can submit multiple votes for Muldowney. For example, every 10 votes for Muldowney equals $10 donated to the nonprofit.

Muldowney said he has always been passionate about the nonprofit, which builds and remodels homes for critically injured U.S. military veterans. His late mother, he said, was also a significant contributor to the charity.

When Muldowney joined the fitness contest, he saw an ideal opportunity to support the cause he loves.

Voting for the Mr. Health and Fitness competition is active through July. The company recently concluded the "Top 5" round of the competition, in which each group was reduced to the top five competitors.

The remaining competitors will be sorted into different groups for the group finals phase, which ends June 8. After this round, one contestant from each group will prevail and advance to the quarterfinals.

A series of further phases will culminate in the final round, which runs from June 30 through July 6, and the overall winner will be announced on July 13.

"It all comes down to voting," Muldowney. "The public is going to pick the winner, so it's important to get your own information out there on social media."

Muldowney is an aspiring fitness influencer, as he often records videos of his workouts in his home gym studio and posts them on social media.

After retiring from the Department of Corrections, Muldowney wants to continue spreading his love of fitness through whatever means possible.

"I believe fitness is more than just fitness," he said. "It's mental health."

Muldowney has been deeply involved in fitness his entire life, going back to his days as an athlete in high school and college.

"(Fitness) changed my life," he said. "I played sports in high school and college, and I think I just adapted fitness into my lifestyle. It takes a lot of that negative thought out of your life, and it's a free stress reliever."

Contact the writer: hlee@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6085